


The Squidbeak Splatoon II

by NikkiKaji



Series: The Splatoon Inkpansion [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Bilingual Octolings, Bilingual Salmonids, Bullying, Chatlogs, Empathy, Explicit Language, Female Agent 3, Female Agent 8, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Inequality, Inklish & Octonese, Interrogation, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Major Original Character(s), Male Agent 4, Memory Loss, Misunderstandings, Multi, Pearl and Marina are dating, Rebellion, Roommates, Salmon Run (Splatoon), Spies & Secret Agents, Spoilers, Squidbeak Splatoon, War, rated T for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-24 14:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14956775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikkiKaji/pseuds/NikkiKaji
Summary: WARNING: CONTAINS MAJOR  SPOILERS REGARDING SPLATOON 1, SPLATOON 2, AND OCTO EXPANSION STORIES.----After the defeat of Commander Tarter,  Inklings and Octolings have finally come together to live in peace. But, of coarse, these cephalopods are far from their happy ended as unanswered questions and new threats start to arise.  With the safety of Inkopolis in their hands, the new and improved Squidbeak Splatoon will put an end to any dangers that challenge them.





	1. Chapter 1

_At last we meet, my so-called foe._  
_But is our fate to spray this hate?_  
_Perhaps we'll learn in depths below..._  
—Mem cake A02

~

Finally, the battle was over…

Agent 8 looked at the destruction below her, kneeling down due to her aching body. The large statue was now sinking below the deep, azure ocean, no longer posing a threat to Inkopolis. Despite the immense amount of exhaustion the Octoling felt, she still managed to form a smile of satisfaction on her face.

“WE DID IT PEARLIE!!!” Marina cheered, extending her arms out and running towards her girlfriend. Before Pearl had the time to react, Marina tackled her to the ground, nuzzling the squid’s face and giggling with joy. The older girl began kicking her arms and legs, struggling to break away from the strong embrace. Behind them, Cap’n Cuttlefish was still fulfilling his job as the “hype man,” dancing and cheering.

On the floor, Agent 3 let out a grunt of discomfort, opening her eyes and leaning upwards. She looked around, baffled by her surroundings. Her eyes were drawn to Agent 8, the Octoling smiling as their eyes met. Agent 8 stands up and walks towards the inkling, reaching out her hand.

“Don’t worry, it’s over. We won. Inkopolis is saved.”

Agent 3’s gaze moves from Agent 8’s eyes to her hand, staring at it for a few seconds and doing nothing. Then, hesitantly, she takes the Octoling’s support and begins to stand up, only to topple over due to the wind blowing past them. Agent 8 quickly wraps both of her hands around Agent 3’s arm to prevent her from hitting the floor.

“Damn, my head is killing me…” Agent 3 groans.

“My bad. I gave you quite the beatdown earlier, huh?” Agent 8 says, nudging the older girl’s shoulder. Agent 3 looked at her in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

Before Agent 8 gets the chance to explain, Pearl yells something from the other side of the flying stage.

“Inkopolis Square dead ahead!” She shouts over the noisy winds, pointing in front of her. Agents 3 and 8 look behind them, seeing the Deca Tower not too far in the distance. The octoling girl stared at the distant buildings, heart pounding in her chest. Her dreams of reaching the promised land.were finally becoming a reality, and she could barely wait to finally live the life of a normal octo-kid.

On the other hand, Agent 3 was focused on something completely different. Not too far away from the Deca Tower was another large structure: Inkopolis Tower. The tall, green building was only a mere silhouette against the orange sky, a sight that brought back tear-jerking memories to the inkling. She took a deep breath, wiping away the tears in her eyes with her arm sleeve before Agent 8 could notice them.

“You good, 3?” Agent 8 asks with concern in her voice.

“Me? Oh, yeah, everything’s good. I’m just glad it’s all over, and we can finally catch a break from all this chaos.” Agent 3 replies. She forces a smile, trying to convince Agent 8 that she’s okay, and it seems to work when the octoling looks back into the distance without saying anything else.

However, both agents knew that everything was far from over. There were still so many unanswered questions about what lies underneath Inkopolis Square, and hidden threats were just waiting to strike at the least expected moment.

~

A week after the defeat of Commander Tartar, Agent 8 was finally beginning to get used to living in Inkopolis. She’d started participating in Turf Wars, working a side job at Grizzco’s, bought some fresh gear, and even got to participate in her first Splatfest. Most inklings had taken the arrival of octolings surprisingly well, and were very friendly towards their former enemies. Others just needed time to adapt to the change. Thankfully, Agent 8 had yet to encounter any problems with these kinds of people.

That was, until today.

Agent 8 was best known for using her signature Octoshot, a weapon she kept with her after escaping the testing facility. She’d been using the weapon ever since she started playing Turf War, and never wanted to upgrade because using anything else just didn’t feel right.

During a late night match, she’d been on an insane winning streak with her Octoshot, and continued to play with and against people in the same lobby. Agent 8 could tell that certain players were purposely targeting her, but none were even remotely good enough to stop the octoling. She ended the day with a 50,000 coin gain, and finally hit rank S+ in Splat Zones and Rainmaker.

It was now almost 9 P.M. at night when Agent 8 finally decided it was time to head home. After exiting the Deca Tower and heading towards the train station, a few inklings from her previous matches followed after her.

“Hey, Octoshit!”

Agent 8 nearly jumped out of her skin, freezing in place as she heard footsteps approach her from behind. Three guys and one girl surrounded her, all wearing black Fishfry bandanas, front-zip vests, and punk blacks. Not only were their clothes matching, but they also were around the same level, had the same hair styles (excluding the girl), and even had the same eye colors. She remembered playing against this squad quite a few times earlier that day during the Splat Zones rotation, and won every match.

“You think you’re just gonna humiliate my squad by using that busted Octoshot an’ get away with it? You’ve got some nerve thinking there wasn’t gonna be consequences.” Zarya, the female leader of the group,.threatens

Agent 8 had no idea what they’re talking about. A busted Octoshot? Before she even got the chance to start being a part of Turf War, she had to get a seal of approval from Sheldon to make sure the weapon wasn’t broken. It was exactly like the Splattershot, just with a different design.

“Listen,” Agent 8 says, backing up slowly, “I don’t want any trou—!”

But her sentence is cut off by a sudden punch to the gut from the girl inkling, knocking the air out of her lungs. The octoling toppled backwards and knocked over a nearby trash can, hitting the ground with a thump. She attempted to stand back up, but was knocked back over by one of the guys standing behind her. This fight caught the attention of passerbys in the square, but no one bothered to help, and instead just stared. There were even a few Octolings who just turned their heads in shame and continued to walk.

“Look at this—stupid fucking Octoling can’t even stand up! No wonder your sorry excuse for a species ended up living underground for so long.” Zarya taunts. She lifts Agent 8 up by her shirt aggressively, getting close to her face and whispers, “I know all about you “Agent 8”. You may’ve saved Inkopolis, but don’t think you can just hide your past self behind a heroic persona.”

“That ENOUGH!”

She is suddenly pulled backwards by another inkling, grunting and stumbling backwards. Agent 8 looks up and immediately recognizes the torn cape that belongs to Agent 3. The hero is standing in front of the Octoling firmly, protecting her from any more harassment. This caught the attention of many more inkling and octolings.

“Is that who I think it is?”

“Yes, it’s Agent 3…”

“Seriously? What are they doing here?”

“Why are you siding with her?!” Zarya yells, “You of all people should know how bad octolings are—they’re going to be the downfall of our kind!”

Agent 3 crosses her arms and snickers, shaking her head, “If anything, people like you are going to be the downfall of our kind. You obviously know nothing about the powers of the Calamari Inkantation. Yes, some Octolings are still evil, but mistreating the good will not solve anything.”

“Psh, okay,” Zarya scoffs, “You’d better watch your back then; never know when one of them might turn on ya. It’s happened before.”

With that, the squad of inklings walk off towards the train station, and the crowd around them begins to disperse. Agent 3 lets out a heavy sigh, walking over to Agent 8 and holding out her hand. The Octoling smiles and grabs the other girl’s hand, standing up.

“Thanks, Agent 3” Agent 8 says gratefully.

“No problem, Eight. I’ve been waiting for you to finish up your Turf Wars all day so that I could speak with you. Well, really, I was sent to find you by the Squidbeak Splatoon. They want us to meet up and discuss something. C’mon, i’ll lead the way.”

Agent 3 and Agent 8 head to the train station, having to take a 15 minute trip Beverly Gills, an affluent city where only the richest of the rich live. After getting off of the train, the two agents had to walk another five blocks to reach Pearl’s mansion, which was surrounded by a tall metal fence painted white. Past the fence was a fountain surrounded by a marble pathway, along with palm trees scattered around the area.

When the two of them approached the gate, Agent 3 pressed a button on the telephone entry system and waited. After a few seconds, a familiar voice finally answered.

“Yo, who dis?”

“It’s Agents 3 and 8.”

“Uh-huh… If it’s really you, what’s the passcode?”

Agent 3 groaned, “Don’t get cooked. Stay off the hook…”

“Alright, c’mon in!”

The mansion gates slowly opened, and the two girls entered the estate. Agent 8 looked around in amazement. The palm trees were so high above her head, and the fountain was glowing with a pink light. She’d never seen anything like this before in her life. It almost seemed too good to be true. When they finally reached the door, the octoling rang the doorbell, and one of Pearl’s butlers answered it and let them inside.

“Please leave your shoes by the door. Everyone is upstairs in Miss Pearl’s room.”

The two did as they were asked and hurriedly went upstairs. When they entered the room, Callie, Marie, Pearl, Marina, and another male inkling were all waiting for them. Marina is on her laptop researching something, Pearl is writing in a notebook, and Callie, Marie, and the inkling boy are talking. Pearl is the first one to notice their presence and motions them over to sit.

“Yo, Izumi! Eight! Welcome to my humble abode!” Pearl says, “C’mon over, don’t be shy.”

Pearl’s room is huge. Not only does she have enough space for a queen sized bed, but there’s also sitting area with pink and white beanbags, a large television, a mini fridge, and some video games. Izumi takes a seat next to Marie while Eight sits next to Pearl.

“I don’t think we’ve all properly met before” Marie says, breaking the silence. She looks at the male sitting between her and Callie, “Everyone, this is Kaito, also known as Agent 4. He’s the one that helped me save Callie when her mind was remixed by DJ Octavio.”

Everyone welcomes Kaito, who smiles and gives a quick nod. Then, Pearl leans over and wraps her arm around Eight’s shoulders

“Callie, Marie, Kaito, this is Agent 8. She managed to break out of the underground Testing Facility and took out Commander Tartar’s doomsday device. Inkopolis would’ve been a goner if it weren’t for her.”

“Another Octoling, huh? Interesting. It’s awesome having you as a member of the Squidbeak Splatoon II, Agent 8. I’m Callie, co-leader of the organization. My cousin, Marie, is the main leader.” Callie says. Her eyes stay locked onto the girl sitting across from her, “But, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your real name?”

Eight doesn’t say anything, instead looking away and twirling one of her tentacles around her finger. As much as she wanted to answer that question, she couldn’t. The only memories she has are the ones from the underground subway up until now. Till this day, she’s been unable to recall anything about her past. Even collecting all of the mem cakes during her missions didn’t help.

“She lost her memory, Callie. That’s actually one of the things I wanted to bring up during today’s meeting, and that’s also why I needed you guys to bring Cap’n Cuttlefish’s Octo Archives. You see...” Marina explains. She pulls up a display of her computer screen onto the televisions for everyone to see, “These files have information registered for every single Octoling that was a part of the army. I figured we might be able to find some information on Eight if we look through this.”

“But, you said she lost her memory right? How are we supposed to find the correct profile if we know nothing about her?” Callie asks

“I think the only thing we can do is look through every single file and find the soldier that looks like her. I admit, however, that it would take an overwhelming amount of time, and it’s not exactly a priority at the moment. I’m not saying that recovering your memories isn’t important, Eight, but we’ve got a bunch of other problems that need immediate attention.” Kaito explains.

Eight lets out a sigh, “It’s fine, I understand. My past isn’t important right now. I’m more concerned about the protection of Inkopolis, and that’s why i’m glad to be a part of this organization. I mean...who knows? Maybe my memories will start to come back on their own.” she answers. There’s a long moment of silence while everyone looks around at each other with pity on their faces, but Eight doesn’t mind it, “So, what other things do we need to talk about?

“Well, erm…” Marina stutters, moving to the next slide in her powerpoint, “Recently, there was a rather violent incident between an Octoling and some Inklings. The reports say that an Octoling by the name of Sabrina Reef was being both verbally and physically assaulted by a group of three female inklings. That’s when she pulled out a Octoshot and threatened them. Thankfully, she was apprehended before she shot.”

“A weapon in the Square? But, I thought Inkopolis had a defense system that disabled any sort of weapon from being brought outside of the Deca Tower or the Shooting Range.” Kaito says.

“It’s not the first time it’s happened…” Marie mentions. She looks at Callie, and then at Izumi, who, by the looks of their expressions, know what she’s talking about. Izumi lets out a devastating sigh, leaning back in her beanbag.

“A few years ago, there was this incident in Inkopolis Plaza where a bunch of Octarians rose up from underground to get revenge on us for holding DJ Octavio hostage. Back then, there was no defense system in the plaza, and we instead used restriction modules on the weapons themselves. Of coarse, Octarian weaponry wasn’t designed with this restrictor, so of course things got messy. I fought alongside other inklings to neutralize the Octarians, and we managed to hold them off. But, unfortunately, you don’t come back when you’re splatted outside of a respawn point,” Izumi explains. She pauses, shaking her head, “There was a large amount of tragedies on both sides, and it shouldn’t have happened.”

“We knew we were in danger, so that’s why we relocated to Inkopolis Square,” Marie continued, “During that time, Octavio managed to escape, and captured the Great Zapfish during the transfer. He also remixed Callie’s brain using the hypnoshades, a new piece of technology created by some of the best Octarian scientists in his army. Still, I have no idea where he got the funding to do all of it. It leads me to think that he may have another ally we know nothing about.”

Again, silence falls onto the room as the agents begin to ponder all of this information. Eight is having the hardest time processing everything that she just heard. Everyone else had at least some knowledge on Inkopolis’s history, but all of this was so new to her.

“Then, Agent 4 defeated Octavio and saved Callie.” Marina says, “With their leader gone and minds freed by the Calamari Inkantation, I guess the Octarians lost their way. They stayed underground and feared us, hoping for a savior. That’s when rumors about the “promised land” started to spread in Octo Canyon, and Commander Tarter became a newer, bigger threat. They were desperate for a new leader, so they turned to him for a better life.”

“Why not just leave? I mean, you did it right after hearing the Calamari Inkantation, right Marina? The others could’ve done it as well.”

“It’s not that simple. I was one of the highest ranked members of the Octarian Army—incredibly stronger and smarter than most. I can’t remember much, but, there were many of my own that I had to fight to escape. Back then, we worked in the Octarian Army with free will. But it wasn’t because we wanted to, it was because we had to. If we didn’t, we were most likely going to die. But, after hearing that song, some of the army started rebelling, so Octavio turned to drastic measures and used the prototype hypnoshades. Everyone was forced to throw away their goggles and wear the shades, and unfortunately, the amount of Octarians who heard the Calamari Inkantation was far less than the ones who were not affected. So, their brains were remixed, and they lost their free will.”

“That’s...wow.” Izumi sighed, closing her eyes. “I can’t believe all that happened after I took out Octavio, and yet I knew nothing about it. I only arrived in Inkopolis Square a couple of weeks ago when Cap’n Cuttlefish assigned me to investigate the Deepsea Metro. That was when I encountered Eight in the testing facility and broke her out of her sanitization tube. Still, she attacked me, but, I don’t think it was because she was being controlled—...”

Izumi pauses and looks at Eight, “I think it’s because she was scared…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically a filler chapter. More action to come soon!

_The world I knew seems like a trap._  
_I'm drawn now to the strange and new._  
_Would my old friends think me a sap?_  
—Mem cake B01/A03

~

After an hour of discussions and theories, the group decided to take a break to eat dinner and play some video games. Pearl hooked up her Fintendo Prime while Marina took tallies on what everyone wanted to play. The popstar owned every game available on the console at the time, so there was an array of multiplayer games for them to choose from. It took almost ten minutes for them to finally come to a decision: Mario Kart Ultimate. This game had over 100 different courses, new daily missions, and a never-ending roster that was still being updated to this day.

Once the console is connected and booted up, the TV’s screen flashes to life and displays the Fintendo logo. Pearl searches through a wave of games until she finally finds Mario Kart Ultimate and selects. The screen goes black for a second, followed by the game’s menu screen popping up and playing a familiar jingle:

^E ^E ^E ^C ^E ^G G

“This is by far one of my favorite games on the Prime.” Marina says. “Y’know, this game is actually a recreation of a series from thousands of years ago. I know we always talk about how foolish humans were when it came to war, but you can’t deny that they were hella creative as well.”

Meanwhile, Callie is on her phone ordering food for everybody, pacing back and forth from one side of the room to the other.

“Hello? Yes, I need 3 large pizzas. Toppings? Uhh…” Callie covers the phone’s mic with her hand. “What do you guys want on the pizzas?”

“Olives!” Pearl cheered as the fell back into her beanbag, a game controller in her hand.

Marina looked at his with a face of disgust. “Olives? Groooooooooss! Let’s get some serrano peppers on that thang thang.” she says. Pearl reacts with a look of horror.

“Do you want to melt your tastebuds off? You can’t enjoy the greatness of pizza if your mouth is burning the whole time.”

“I’d rather eat that than a mushy, oily reject fruit. Serrano peppers aren’t even that hot, you’re just a baby.”

Callie groans, uncovering the bottom of the phone and putting it back on the side of her face. “Yeah, on one of those pizzas, lemme get half olives and half serrano peppers. On another one, i’d like half of it pineapple, the other side spinach. For the last one, extra cheese...Mhm, yeah, weird tastes, I know. Oh yeah, i’m also gonna need a 12 liter of Manta Orange and another 12 liter of Manta Grape...”

The girl’s voice faded into background noise when the others began the first race. Since the game was only four players, they had to take turns with the controllers. Pearl, Marina, Izumi, and Kaito were the first ones up, and the two that did the worst had to give up their controllers. Eight watched them with great interested as they boosted, drifted, and sabotaged each other through the course. By the end of the match, Marina placed first, Izumi placed third, Kaito placed fourth, and Pearl placed sixth.

“No fair! I kept getting screwed over by blue shells and bullet bills.” Pearl complained. She reached over to hand Eight her controller, but the octoling did not grab the device, shaking her head.

“I-I don’t know how to play… I’ve never played a video game before.” Eight says. The girl looks down at her palms with embarrassment, “If it’s okay, i’d like to just watch you guys play instead.”

Pearl looks at Eight for a few seconds, but decides not to say anything and instead hands the controller to Pearl while Kaito hands his to Marie. During their preparation for the next game, Pearl’s butler, Gilbert, walks into the room with the food they ordered. He sets it down on the kotatsu between the beanbags and the TV, along with some napkins and plastic cups. Before exiting, he bows and says, “Enjoy your meal.”

“Thanks, Gil! You’re the best dawg.” Pearl says as the butler leaves. She opens one of the pizza boxes, revealing a steaming hot half serrano pepper-half olive pizza. Humming in delight, the inkling grabs a slice of the olive pizza and leans back in her beanbag, taking a bite. As soon as the slice come in contact with her mouth, Pearl quickly pulls it away and begins to hyperventilate, waving her free hand in front of her mouth as her eyes became teary.

“HOT HOT HOOOOT!”

Everyone laughed until Pearl finally stopped freaking out, setting down here slice of pizza on a napkin to let it cool off. Marina tries to reach for a slice of serrano pepper pizza, but Pearl swiftly slaps the octoling’s hand away. The younger girl retrieves her hand just as fast as it was hit, rubbing it with her other one.

“I am not gonna let your greasy fingers touch my controller. You know the rules.” Pearl scolds.

“Ugh, fine…” Marina groans as the next race starts. This time, they are playing on a course in space where they have to drive on a rainbow road with no barriers to save them. Of course it generates some saltiness from the girls, and even Marie could be heard cursing under her breath.

Eight is still staring at the pizza boxes, unsure if she should take a slice or not. The smell of melted cheese fills her nostrils as she inhales, her stomach grumbling. Pearl notices her behavior, moving the first box of pizza and opening the second which has extra cheese. She picks out a slice and places it on a napkin, handing it to Eight. The octoling looks at the food for a few seconds, taking it cautiously form Pearl’s hands on the napkin. She nibbles on the pointed end of the slice, unsure of what to expect. But soon after the first bite, the pace of her eating quickens, nibbles turning into full bites. Eight didn’t expect the oily, cheesy dish to taste so perfect.

After the race is done, the others are finally able to get their slices of lukewarm pizza as well. Pearl hands Eight a cup of ice and pours her a cup of Manta Grape. The beverage bubbled and fizzed, a sight that Eight found rather satisfying to watch. She drank the soda, and a rush of energy and refreshment moved through her body.

While they were eating, Kaito’s phone rang from the pocket of his black denim jeans. He stood up and excused himself, walking away from the group and answering. Callie hushed everyone in an attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation, leaning over the back of her beanbag.

“I’m at a meeting right now… Yeah, I know, the time kinda just slipped by. My bad, I should’ve let you know i’d be out late. I’ll be heading back now… Okay, bye.”

Kaito hung up the phone, sighing heavily out of his nostrils. He turned to the group of girls, placing the device back in his pocket and grabbing his gray sweater off of the beanbag, along with another slice of pizza for the road.

“Sorry guys, that was Ace.” he says. “I didn’t intend on being out late, and I forgot we had stuff to do together. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Who’s Ace?” Eight questions. Before Kaito even has the chance to answer, Callie buts in.

“His boyfrieeeeend.” she say teasingly.

A dark red blush forms on the cheeks of his beige skin, a quick gasp escaping his mouth as he eyes Callie, who had a devious smirk on her face.

“For the last time, he’s not my boyfriend.” Kaito denies. “We’re just roommates, and we’re part of a squad that plays ranked together. The apartment payment is easier that way. Anyways, i’ll see you guys later. Have a good night.”

The male inkling exits the room quickly to avoid any more of Callie’s comments. When the door slams shut, she can’t help but laugh hysterically.

“That reminds me… Hey Eight, where have you been staying the past week?” Marina asks.

Eight chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the side of her arm. “Well, you see, i’m not exactly staying anywhere, per se… I’ve been working really hard to buy a place at Flounder Heights, but, Octolings don’t nearly earn as much from Turf War or Grizzco. I mean, I made a bunch at first, but I kinda wasted it on getting better abilities on my gear, and then I had to pay for food…”

“So, basically, what you’re saying is that you’ve been living on the streets?” Pearl questions.

“Oh, no no! I’ve been resting on the subway cars in the Deepsea Metro. The denizens of the deep are actually pretty chill, and C.Q. cumber didn’t seem to mind. I mean, he still made me pay, but it was way less expensive than a hotel.”

Marie crosses her arms as a concerned look forms on her face. “Well, that’s no good. The Deepsea Metro is dangerous. Someone could try to mug you, or worst...” she says, shivering. “Izumi, you live by yourself, right? Why not let Eight stay with you until she can afford a place of her own?”

Izumi looks over at Eight, who looks back at hear with pleading eyes. The octoling cups her hands together and mouths the words “Please”.

“I suppose… there’s enough room for us both.” the inkling finally says. Eight cheers, running over to Izumi and giving her a big hug, causing the girl to yelp. “H-hey! Stop it! Geez…”

After realizing how late it was, the girls decide to clean up the bedroom before heading out. They spent about five minutes picking up empty cups and used napkins off of the floor before carrying the large, black trash bag downstairs. Pearl hands Gilbert the trash as she walks by him, the butler groaning as he carried the bag to the disposal. The group gives their final goodbyes before leaving the mansion and heading their separate ways, Pearl and Marina waving from the door.

Since the train station was now closed, Izumi and Eight make their to the bus station just in time to catch the last bus. Taking their seats next to each other, Eight inspects the passengers on the bus. She realizes that they are much... different than the ones on the Deepsea Metro, ranging from jellyfish to nautilus. One of them gives her a nasty look, so she decides to look outside the window instead. Her eyes begin to feel heavy as her body starts to slowly lean towards Izumi, who is reading something on her phone. Gently, Eight lays her head on Izumi’s shoulder, causing the inkling to jump from the sudden contact.

“Hey, what are you-...” she starts to say, but then cuts off her sentence when she sees Eight’s eyes closed shut, her breathing silent and steady. The inkling decides not to say anything, turning her attention back to her phone. She was able to catch a glimpse of other passengers looking at them, but they quickly turned their heads away.

It took almost an hour for the bus to reach its final stop for the night, which was right outside of Flounder Heights. Both Izumi and Eight had fallen asleep during that time, leaning against each other for support. The bus driver, a male krill, walked to the back of the bus and awakened Izumi with a tap on her shoulder.

“This is the last stop, you gotta get off.” He says, proceeding to check the rest of the bus. Izumi rubs her eyes and yawns, leaning upwards a bit. She shakes Eight’s shoulder, awakening the octoling from her slumber.

“C’mon, we gotta get off. My apartment isn’t too far from here.” Izumi says softly. She stands up, helping Eight get on her feet as they proceed to walk off of the bus.

The night is cold and silent as they make their way up four flights of stairs to reach Izumi’s apartment—number 405. Izumi reaches into the pocket of her hero hoodie and pulls out a key, unlocking the door and opening it. When they step inside, the inkling moving her hands frantically against the wall until she finally finds a light switch and flicks it upwards, lighting up the room. It’s a pretty basic layout for an apartment: the living room and kitchen are in the same space, and down the hall was a bedroom and a bathroom.

Izumi lets out a sigh of relief as she unzips her hoodie, throwing it on her couch and revealing the black anchor tee she was wearing underneath it. She looks at Eight, who is still standing near the door after removing her heeled boots.

“I have some clothes you can borrow; they’re in my room. Follow me.” Izumi says. Her and Eight walk down the small hallway and through a door on the left. Inside, the room is a mess, with clothes scattered around the floor, sheets hanging halfway off of the bed, and crumpled up paper overflowing the trash can. Izumi steps over the mess and opens her dresser, pulling out a Chirpy Chirps band tee and tossing it to Eight. “That looks like it’ll fit you.”

“Thank you.” Eight says. The octoling proceeds to pull down the zipper of her leather crop top, revealing her strapless padded bra. When Izumi turns around and realizes what Eight is doing, she shrieks, shielding her eyes.

“W-Why didn’t you wait until I left the room?!” she asks aggressively, the tone of her voice a pitch higher than usual.

Eight looks at Izumi in confusion. “Is it not normal for people to undress in the same room?”

“Well, I mean, I guess… It just makes me a little uncomfortable, because we haven’t known each other for long, and well—...” Izumi admits, making her way towards the door. “Nevermind. You can sleep in here, i’ll be out on the couch. Goodnight.”

Before Eight gets a chance to say goodnight back, the door is already closed shut. She sighs, taking off her vest and putting on the t-shirt. She looks at herself in the mirror, examining her body. She’d been putting on a bit more weight after living off of nothing but Crust Bucket food for the past week, but thankfully it wasn’t going straight to her stomach. Still, she wanted to change her eating habits starting the next day if she was going to be an efficient agent.

Eight walks away from the mirror and plops onto the bed, taking in a deep breath as her body came in contact with the cool sheets. Slowly, she begins to fall asleep, dreaming about her hopes for the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been commenting, bookmarking, and giving kudos on the past couple of chapters. It really means a lot to me when people enjoy what I write, and motivates me to write even more! I've been working super hard on the upcoming chapter, and wanted to upload this ASAP. I cannot express my appreciation enough. Love you guys, and Stay Fresh! くコ:彡

_You overwhelm with crowds and throngs._  
_At every turn, you writhe and churn._  
_Why can't we simply get along?_  
—Mem cake C02

~

Eight had awakened to the glow of the morning sun as it’s beams poured through the windows of the bedroom. As she opens her eyes, the world around her is blurry for a few seconds before her sight focusing. The girl leans upwards and yawns, swinging her legs over the side of the bed before standing up and doing some stretches. Eight then makes her way to the bedroom door and opens it, carefully not to step on anything scattered across the floor. When she pokes her head out of the room, her nostrils are instantly filled with a delightful smell. Slowly, she steps out of the door and peeks around the corner leading into the living area.

Izumi is already up and working in the kitchen, standing over her stove with a pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. She hears the creaking of the wooden floors behind her, turning around and seeing Eight. 

“Good morning.” she says, giving the octoling a warm smile. “Breakfast is almost ready. I made pancakes, eggs,  _ and _ bacon; The house specialty! Just sit at the table and i’ll bring you your plate.”

Eight obeys and sits in one of the two seats at the small, wooden table. She looks at the television in the living room, where the channel is set to Inkopolis News. Pearl and Marina appear on the screen, which is the first time Eight had actually seen them on national television, and it excited her. 

> Pearl: Y’all know what time it is!
> 
> Marina: It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!
> 
> Pearl: Check it! Here are the current Regular Battle stages!

Izumi walks over to the table with two plates of food in her hands, setting one down in front of Eight and the other on the opposite side of the table. Before sitting down, she goes back into the kitchen and grabs two cups along with some orange juice, pouring some for the both of them.

“You may not think it, but i’m actually a really good cook. Before I moved into the city, my mom ran a small restaurant in the country, and I used to help out a lot.” the inkling says. She picks up the glass syrup dispenser and proceeds to pour the warm, golden liquid on their pancakes. While Izumi proceeds to eat, Eight pokes at her food with her silver fork before finally managing to tear off a piece of the pancake. She can hear a faint laugh escape the inkling’s mouth. “Here, let me help you.”

Izumi reaches over the table and grabs a butter knife along with Eight’s fork, cutting swiftly and neatly through both of the stacked pancakes. She leaves the fork standing in the pancakes and puts the knife down to the side, sitting back in her chair and continuing to eat. Eight picks up the fork with the precut pancake and places it into her mouth, tasting both the, fluffy textures of the pancake itself, along with the thick, sweet taste of the syrup. While eating, they continue to watch the news broadcast.

> Pearl: Breaking News! Possible ban of octoshot in turf war? There have been recent reports of unfair advantages with this weapon, which may lead to all octolings that own an octoshot to trade it in for the Splattershot. These are only speculations, more information will be coming soon.
> 
> Marina: I don’t get it; the weapon has a seal of approval from Sheldon himself. Even if they do replace all of the octoshots, that won’t stop inklings from still getting their butts kicked by octolings from time to time. It’s just a pety excuse to make us more miserable. Don’t hate the player, hate the game!
> 
> Pearl: Geez, Marina, I didn’t know you felt so strongly about this stuff. You don’t even use the octoshot, right? What’s the big deal?
> 
> Marina: You know  **damn** well this isn’t just about the weapon, Pearl. Everyone knows.

Eight notices that Marina storms off the screen before the broadcast even ends, leaving Pearl to do the outro by herself. 

> Pearl: Oooookay then! Well, that’s all the time we’ve got! Until next time… Don’t get cooked… Stay off the hook! ...M-Marina! Hold on, what’s wro—!? 

The broadcast quickly transitions to an advertisement about Wahoo World. Eight feels a sudden weight in her chest, unsure of where it came from. For some reason, she doesn’t feel like eating anymore after hearing that report. Most of her food was gone anyways, and what remained had already gotten cold. 

Izumi stands up and grabs both of their plates, placing them into the already huge pile of dishes in the sink. She notices the disappointment on Eight’s face as she watches the television, and her heart sinks.

> “You heard it folks! Tickets to Wahoo World will be 50% off on Valentine’s Day weekend! Take your sweetheart to the best amusement park in Inkopolis. But you’d better hurry; these things are sellin’ faster than a Quick-Jump Orange on a hot summer day! Call the number below or visit the official website to get yours now now now!”

“I’ve gotta run some important errands today.” Izumi says, grabbing her hero hoodie and walking towards the door. “I know you’re probably gonna wanna go out sooner or later, so I’ll leave the key to the apartment under the mattress. Probably won’t be back until later tonight, but i’ll be sure to pick up some dinner.”

“Alright, see you later…” Eight replies.

Before leaving, Izumi gives the octoling one more smile of encouragement. The door closes shut, Eight is left alone with the sounds of the television. She sighs, finding the remote control and turning it off. It’s already almost 10 AM, which meant that Grizzco would be opening pretty soon, and she couldn’t afford to be late and suffer from another salary reduction. 

Eight goes back into Izumi’s room and finds a white anchor tee and some black leggings, swiftly changing her clothes. She grabs her Grizzco employee card and rushes out the apartment door, running down four flights of apartment stairs and to the train station. Luckily, she catches a monorail just as it’s about to leave, slipping through the automatic doors at the last second. Letting out a sigh of relief, the girl plops down on one of the plastic seats and catches her breath, awaiting her destination.

~

When reaching Inkopolis Square, Eight makes her way to the far back-left of the area to get to the Grizzo Headquarters. While going there, she passes by the Inkopolis News Studio, but does not see Pearl or Marina sitting behind the glass panel. They were usually always hanging out in there during business hours unless it was lunch time or a Splatfest was going on. Still, the octoling doesn’t have time to question it, and continues on to her Salmon Run job.

Eight makes her way to the locker room in the back of building to get changed. She finds her dedicated locker—Number 888— and grabs here uniform from inside. It consists of a Grizzco t-shirt, orange worker overalls, a Grizzco cap, green rubber gloves, and green rubber boots. It wasn’t very stylist, and the uniform had absolutely  _ no  _ abilities to help the workers in the field. But when people complained, Mr. Grizz threatened to half their paychecks, so everyone just dealt with it.

After getting changed, Eight tossed her other clothes back into her locker and headed to the boarding docks. Role assignment wasn’t exactly organized, and everyone you were paired up with was completely random. Not only that, but sometimes it took a very long time to even get on a boat to the dedicated work area, which meant that every Salmon Run you got a chance to be a part of mattered. 

Due to company protocol, her naturally garnet tentacles faded to a pink color, which represented her rank in the Salmon Run. Eight was already an Overachiever, and was only one successful shift away from being promoted. Quickly, the octoling checked in with her employee card and waited for her name to be called. She watched as fisher boats pulled into the dock, and four inklings or octolings stepped off. Everyone looked so exhausted and beaten up, and you could never tell if they’d reached their quota or not due to their unreadable expressions.

“Alright, Employees 263, 264, 539, and 888, you’ve been assigned to gather Golden Eggs from the Spawning Grounds. Please enter the boat and prepare for immediate departure.” A Grizzco supervisor announces. Eight, along with three other inklings—two female one male—show the supervisor their employee cards and climb onto the raggedy boat. The engine sputters to life, voyaging into the sea. Eight reads the nametags of each of her employees. The male inkling’s name is Cole, the inkling girl with a side swept hairstyle’s name is Zoe, and the last, younger looking inkling’s name is Hana.

No one says anything at first, Eight looking out into the distance as the boat rides along. The ocean is a green color that makes her feel nauseous for some reason, and the sky is a vermillion orange filled with black clouds. She knew that these abnormal conditions were because of the salmonids—or, at least that’s what Mr. Grizz told everybody. The boss always talked about how killing these salmonids would lead to a better future, but honestly, it was probably a lie to further motivate everyone to work (as if the paycheck weren’t enough).

After a few minutes, the boat came to a halt, and the captain handed each of the employees a lifesaver, as well as a weapon. Then, they all super jumped to the reset point in the spawning grounds, where Grizzco proceeded to order them around through their wireless earpieces.

“The egg basket is ready and waiting. Now go get me some Golden Eggs!”

Immediately, the crew gets to work. Eight was first assigned a splatterscope, which was a weapon she had very little experience on. She decided to take stand on a platform next to the egg basket, getting a good view of the area. In the distance, the sound of a viking horn goes off, and the slimy, ugly salmonids start to make their way onto the land. A Steelhead emerges slowly from the waters directly in front of them, followed by a Steel Eel and the far left.

The Steelhead was the first to attack, generating a bomb at the top of it’s head and preparing to toss it at the closest target. Eight took a deep breath, steadying her weapon and shooting the green inflatable bag. The bomb exploded with one shot, causing the Steelhead to go down and drop three golden eggs. Meanwhile, Eight’s coworkers had already taking out the other boss, and moved swiftly from one side of the map to the other in order to deposit the precious eggs and meet their quota.

At the end of the first wave, the workers had managed to collect and deposit 13 golden eggs into the basket—4 more than they were required to gather. Despite meeting the quota, Eight could tell that her coworkers were putting in more work than her, and she knew that it would affect her paycheck. It was tough enough to hit her shots while also being attacked by flanking salmonids, but being offensive with a splatterscope was sure to get her splatted. 

“Want to trade weapons?”

Eight looks down from the platform she is standing on and sees Hana standing right below her feet. She reaches up and hands the octoling her aerospray MG, and then grabs the splatterscope in return. Eight isn’t sure how to respond to the inkling’s generosity.

“Um...thanks.” is all she manages to say. Hana gives her a smile.

“No problem. I’ll be honest, I prefer staying back and helping from a distance rather than straight up rushin’ into the enemy. Those salmonids are  _ super  _ creepy.” the inkling says. 

The sounds of the viking horn go off once again, and Eight makes her way off of the highground to the uneven sandbar behind the egg basket, where several bosses have already started to spawn.  _ She did it for her own advantage, not be be nice… Of course.  _ she thought. Still, Eight would take an aerospray over a splatterscope any day, and decided not to think about it too much.

Everyone attacked relentlessly on the salmonids during the second wave, and surpassed their quota by an even larger amount than before. At the start of the third and final wave, bosses began appearing on every side of the island, and the coworkers had to split up in order to handle them all. Defeating the bosses was no challenge, but getting the eggs to the basket became a real problem. Every time a boss was defeated, usually only one of the three golden eggs were taken to the basket, while the other two were swiped by a Snatcher. With time ticking, the team’s quota was still far from being completed.

“C’mon guys, we just need one more—AGH!” Cole shouted from the small docks. His sentence was cut when he was splatted by a group of Cohocks that surrounded him. Due to his critical state, he used his lifesaver to get away from danger and signaled his coworkers for help. Hana and Zoe tried to push up and help their comrade, but were being severely overwhelmed.

Eight was on the grated walkway to the right of the egg basket, searching for any leftover golden eggs. She jumps down onto the flat ground below her, looking around desperately. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spots a Snatcher picking up a single golden egg hidden behind a pillar. She raises her aerospray and aims for the salmonid, and it looks at her with fear in it’s eyes, doing something unbelievable. 

“Please! No!”

Eight’s heart nearly stops when she hears the salmonid speak in her native language, staring at it intently. These creatures were known to be like bacteria—a thing that just follows orders mindlessly and doesn’t have a consciousness  She didn’t believe that they could communicate, let alone speak octonese. She doesn’t lower her weapon, but doesn’t shoot either, waiting to see what it does. The Snatcher remains as still as a statue, the golden egg wrapped around in its fins. 

“N-No kill. No die. I go home. Family. P-Please.” the salmonid begs in broken octonese, shaking harshly.

The octoling feels her arms getting weak. She knows that time is running out, and all she has to do is pull the trigger, grab the egg, and take it to the basket. The quota would be met, she’d be promoted to a profreshional, and she would get a huge pay raise.

So why couldn’t she do it? Why did she feel pity for this salmonid?

Eight let out a sharp exhale, lowering her weapon. She said nothing else, gesturing towards the water with her head. The Snatcher tottered past the girl and towards the sea, looking back at her one last time before diving beneath the waves and disappearing. A few seconds pass, and Eight hears a voice through her earpiece.

“TIME'S UP! Let's see how many Golden Eggs ya got. Just 30? That's a shame. Get back to the boat, ya good for nothin’ cephalopods.”

Eight avoided saying anything to her coworkers on the way back to the headquarters. When the boat boarded at the dock, the octoling rushed past the crowd of Grizzco employees and back into the locker room. She quickly opened her locker and grabbed her clothes, taking them with her into the shower area and closing the curtain for privacy. As she began to strip herself of her uniform, she heard the sound of the shower curtain opening behind her. Eight used her arm in an attempt to cover her chest, swiftly turning around and seeing Zoe stare at her with a blank expression.

“Hey! I’m changi—!”

“I don’t care, just answer my question. Why did you let that salmonid go?” Zoe asked, crossing her arms.

_ Shit… _

“Why do you care? Your paygrade got retained, right? Just go work another shift and leave me alone.” Eight snapped. 

“The other two already snitched, even when I tried making an excuse for you. Mr. Grizz is probably gonna put you on unpaid leave, and rumors are already spreading. Just tell me why you didn’t shoot” Zoe says. 

Eight looked away in shame, closing her eyes as she felt a lump form in her throat. “Because it begged for its life! It actually spoke to me with fear in its voice, saying it didn’t want to die. A-and I started to feel empathy, okay? I-I’m—!”  Eight chokes back her tears. “I’m sorry…”

There’s a moment of silence, and the inkling reopens the shower curtain to take her leave. “Don’t beat yourself up for it. Maybe… Maybe you did the right thing. Perhaps this is the first step to creating genuine peace in a corrupted society. You have my respect, Eight.” Zoe replies, stepping out of the shower. She looks back at Eight once more and smiles. “Oh, and you should try out a different hairstyle. I think you’d look cute with a ponytail~!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know this chapter took a bit longer to upload, and it's a little shorter than usual, but you'll see why shortly after you finish reading. Be sure to also look out for the references and puns I included ;) Thanks again for all the love and support! <3

_I leave without ceremony._  
_Don't be too sore I wanted more._  
_My sincerest apology._  
—Mem cake I03/E01

~

Eight exits the Grizzco Headquarters and goes to pick up her final check. She approaches the window to the right of the building and slides her employee ID card under the small gap beneath the tinted window. The figure on the other side took took card and scanned it, then gave it back to her.

“Thank you for working at Grizzco Industries. 5,000 coins have been added to your  bank account. You contributions will help lead to a bigger and brighter future for inkopolis.”

“Yeah, whatever you say.” Eight scoffs, picking up her employee ID and ripping it into small pieces. “I’m never coming back to work for this bullshit company.” She throws the shreds of cheap plastic onto the ground, walking back into the square.

Before heading back to the apartments, Eight decides to go to the High-Tide Cafe and grab something to eat. As she makes her way there, she passes by the Inkopolis Studio once again. Since stage rotations were about to change, she expects Pearl and Marina to be in the studio. To her surprise, there are other people in their place instead.

Eight recognizes the duo as Fish Tales: a band that recently gained recognition due to their fresh hip hop music. The male of the group is Mackai (or Mack for short), a Pacific Sierra, and he was best at using the synthesizer. With it, he’s able to use one instrument and create the sounds of many. The female of the group is Arial, a Platinum Angelfish. She was best known for not only her elegant appearance, but also her amazing vocal range.

A rather large crowd started to gather around the studio, pressing their hands against the glass and staring into the room. Eight was pushed and shoved until she found herself at the back of the horde of cephalopods, nearly falling over due to their aggressiveness. She made her way around the crowd and to the cafe, pushing the glass door open and stepping inside. The girl was greeted by the ringing of a small bell above the door as the aroma of cinnamon rolls and coffee filled her nose.

“Welcome to High-Tide Cafe!” the employee greets behind the counter, giving Eight a wave. The octoling approaches the counter, looking up at the chalkboard menu. There were dozens of options to choose from, and having to choose a single thing was tough. She finally decides to get a dish called “Onigiri”, and gets a lavender lemonade to drink, handing the cashier her card. The cashier swipes the card and hands it back to the octoling, who places it in her pocket.

_“Psst!”_

The sound catches Eight’s attention, causing her to turn and look around the cafe. In the corner of the room, she sees two girls sitting at a table, both wearing all black clothes, sunglasses, and sun hats. She approaches their table and takes a seat, immediately recognizing the girls as Pearl and Marina. She can’t help but snicker at their shady appearance.

“What’s with the getup?” Eight asks.

Marina lifts her sun hat a bit so that Eight is able to see her eyes. “I mean, we’re popstars, Eight. We gotta stay inconspicuous to avoid the paparazzi. Duh.” she replies, taking a sip of her ice tea.

“Why aren’t you guys at the studio?” Eight questions. Marina’s reply is an annoyed huff as she crosses her arms. Pearl chuckles as she recalls the memory.

“She cussed on air and broke script, so our managers want her to take a break for the rest of the day and cool off.” Pearl answers, still giggling as her girlfriend looks at her in annoyance. “They didn’t know Marina was a fuckin’ savage! Ahahaha!”

“Shut up, Pearl. It’s your fault it happened.” Marina responds. “Anyways, Eight, this is for you.”

She reaches under her seat and pulls out a small box with a red ribbon tied around it, sliding it across the table. Eight stops the box from sliding and picks it up, inspecting it. Then, she carefully pulls on one of the ends of the silk ribbon and it comes loose. Opening the box, she sees the screen of an smartphone wrapped with tissue paper, and she lets out a gasp of surprise.

“That’s the new Splatphone 10. If you’re gonna be a part of the agency, you’ll need a way to communicate with us. The chat app that we use is already installed onto it. Consider it a belated welcoming gift from us, even though _I_ had to pay for it. Marina only picked out the phone…” Pearl said.

“You mean your _dad_ paid for the phone, Pearlie.” Marina replies, eying the inkling who simply shrugs in response.

Eight takes the phone out of the box, sliding her thumb across the glass screen. She decides to activate her phone when she gets back to the apartment, placing it in her pants pocket. One of the cafe waiters approaches their table with a serving tray, placing down Eight’s onigiri and lavender lemonade in front of her.

“Enjoy your meal.” she says, smiling.

The octoling wasn’t sure what to expect when she took her first bite. The texture of the white rice was somewhat mushy, and the seaweed wrapped around it was very salty. Still, Eight found the taste rather delightful, and continued to nibble away at the triangular food. Behind her, one of the televisions had changed to the news station, catching her attention, as well as Pearl and Marina’s. The opening jingle and logo were different from usual, and the Fish Tale members appeared on screen with dozens of fans standing behind the studio glass to watch them.

 

> Mack: Yo yo yo, what’s up Inkopolis?! I’m Mack!
> 
> Arial: And i’m Arial!
> 
> Both: And we’re Fish Tales, comin’ to you live from the Inkopolis studio!

The crowd behind them cheered, and the people in the cafe were able to hear it from both the television and right outside. Marina scoffed, rolling her eyes.

 

> Arial: Now, you guys might be thinking, _“Hey, what are these two doing in the news studio? Where’s our precious Off the Hook?”_
> 
> Mack: Well, no need to worry your tail fins off! Pearl and Marina are just taking a small break, and will be back starting tomorrow morning. But until then, you guys get to hang out with us! I hope we can live up to your expectations.
> 
> Arial: Alrighty then, let’s reveal the current Regular Battle Stages!

“We gotta go, Eight. Don’t forget to activate your phone when you get back to Izumi’s place. We’ll be using the chat a lot more for meetings now.” Pearl says, standing up alongside Marina. Before leaving, the inkling snags one of Eight’s onigiris, but the octoling doesn’t seem to mind. She watches as the two exit the cafe, sneaking past the crowd with their heads ducked low and towards the train station. Once they’re out of sight, Eight turns her attention back to the television.

 

> Mack: And now for other announcements! Don’t forget, Wahoo World is hosting a special event this Valentines Weekend, and all tickets are half off. The park will be open all night, and there will be performances from some of your favorite bands like Off the Hook, Chirpy Chirps, and even us, Fish Tales!
> 
> Arial: I heard that even the famous Squid Sisters would be there. Getting to perform with them on the same stage would be the experience of a lifetime. Ah! I’m so excited!
> 
> Mack: Well, we’re out of time. We’ll see you guys in two hours! And remember…
> 
> Both: Don’t think it! Just ink it!

Eight stands up and pushes in her chair, leaving a 500 coin tip for the waitress and then leaving the cafe. The crowd from outside had dispersed, and she could see Mack and Arial still hanging out in the studio. She stared at them for a few seconds, watching as the chatted and laughed. The duo notices Eight looking at them, gives her a friendly wave, and then goes back to chatting. The octoling decides to head back the apartment and get her phone working sooner rather than later, running to the train station.

* * *

 

**In the Underground Testing Facility**

Agent 3’s grey torn cape dragged behind her as she walked cautiously through the underground testing facility, Hero Shot in hand. Standing next to her was Agent 4, who was also wearing a hero suit and wielding his hero dualies. They were assigned to investigate the facility after reports of music being heard throughout the Deepsea Metro. When the two arrived, they discovered that many sanitized octolings still remained working in the facility, despite Commander Tartar no longer being there to give them orders.

“Whoever’s making this music is probably the ones controlling the sanitized. Find them and put an end to it, agents!” Cap’n Cuttlefish says through the inklings’ ear pieces.

“Got it, Cap. The soundwaves are getting stronger as we progress; shouldn’t be long now.” Agent 3 replies, looking down at the device she received to track down the music’s source. They approach a door with the words “Command Room” on it, and the device starts to beep rapidly. The agents press their ears against the door, hearing faint music coming from inside. Agent 4 looks at Agent 3, waiting for a signal. She waits a few seconds, nods, and together they slam against the door with their shoulders.

When the door swings open, the agents rush into the room with their weapon raised, inspecting the area. Inside the room, there was a DJ turntable connected to the speakers that ran throughout the facility, but no one there using it. The two inklings proceeded cautiously, searching around but finding nothing.

“There’s no one here…” Agent 3 communicates to Cap’n Cuttlefish, circling in the middle of the room.  

“No, something’s not right.” Agent 4 says. He approaches the turntables, peeking over the booth. When he does, a splat bomb is suddenly lobbed from the other side, the inkling ducking to avoid getting hit in the face. The bomb flies through the air and clatters onto the ground next to Agent 3, who is not paying attention.

“Izumi, look out!” Agent 4 yells. He dashes towards the other inkling and tackles her to ground, the bomb detonating behind them in an eruption of green ink. When this happens, a girl octoling emerges from behind the turntables and rushes past them out the door.

“Damn, i’m hurt. Go get ‘em, Three. I’ll catch up.”

Agent 3 nods, scrambling onto her feet and rushing out the door. She sees the figure running across a metal grate catwalk, swiftly following her. The sounds of their feet hitting the metal echo throughout the factory as 3 stays hot on the girl’s trail, dodging to the left, then the right. Once close enough, Agent 3 leaps forward and tackles the fugitive, causing them to both topple off of the grated floors and to the ground below. Before the inkling gets the chance to stand back up, the octoling kicks her in the stomach. She lets out a cry of pain as she falls backwards, hitting the ground. The octoling then picks up the Hero Shot off of the ground, aiming it at the inkling and placing her finger on the trigger.

“The mist! Use the toxic mist!” Cap’n Cuttlefish yells through the bluetooth.

Before the octoling is able to pull the trigger, Agent 3 pulls out the toxic mist sub weapon and throws it at the ground. The glass shatters, releasing a purple cloud of fog in the area. The octoling drops her weapon, coughing and weezing as she tried to cover her mouth. While she is discombobulated, Agent 3 uses the butt of her Hero Shot to strike the girl in her head. She lets out a yelp of pain, falling to the ground motionless.

“Agent 3? Come in, Agent 3!”

Izumi lets out a heavy sigh, poking at the unconscious octoling with her weapon. “Don’t worry, i’m fine. The fugitive is currently unconscious, so we should get her to the surface for interrogation ASAP.”

* * *

 

It’s already 11 PM when Izumi finally makes it back to Flounder Heights. She unlocks the door with the spare key she had made earlier that day, entering the apartment. Inside, Eight is laying on the couch using her new phone. She looks over and notices Izumi, leaning up and giving her a wave.

“You’re back super late, what happened?” the octoling asked.

Izumi grabs her laptop and walks over to the couch, sitting down on the floor next to Eight’s face. She lifts the screen and presses the power button, the computer’s screen flashing to life. When she enters her password and logs in, the wallpaper of her along with Cap’n Cuttlefish, Callie, and Marie appears.

“I went to the underground testing facility and did some investigations. Ended up capturing a hostile octoling. We’ll talk about it more in the chat.” Izumi replies. She opens up an application called ♪MARINA'S CHAT★ROOM♪ and enters her username and password. Eight does the same on her phone.

 

> ■Webmaster■ > DJ_Hyperfresh has joined the chatroom.
> 
> ■Webmaster■ > MC.Princess has joined the chatroom.
> 
> ■Webmaster■ > Agent_3 has joined the chatroom.
> 
> ■Webmaster■ > Agent_4 has joined the chatroom.
> 
> ■Webmaster■ > Agent_8 has joined the chatroom.
> 
> ■Webmaster■ > Agent_1 has joined the chatroom.
> 
> ■Webmaster■ > Agent_2 has joined the chatroom.
> 
> MC.Princess > Geez, there’s so many agents. U guys couldnt be more creative with ur usernames?
> 
> Agent_2 > That’s not important now. We should focus on Izumi and Kaito’s discoveries from the testing facility investigation.
> 
> DJ_Hyperfresh > Speakin of that, how’re you holding up, Kaito? I heard you took a hit from a splat bomb during the mission.
> 
> Agent_4 > Eh, i’m doing okay, could’ve been way worst. I’ve got a few marks on my back that hurt, but they should heal up pretty soon.  
> 
> Agent_1 > I’m sure Ace is helping you out a bunch, riiiight~?
> 
> Agent_1 > ;3
> 
> Agent_4 > …
> 
> Agent_2 > Anyways, the octoling that you guys brought back is being held at the Inkopolis Jail. Callie and I have been doing some research and looking through gramps’s Octarian Archives to see if we could find any information on her.
> 
> Agent_3 > Were u successful?
> 
> Agent_1 > Yup! This information we found was last updated about a year ago
> 
> Agent_1 > 
> 
> Agent_8 > Whoa, she looks just like you Marina! 
> 
> Agent_4 > Except her skin and tentacles are all weirdly colored. What's that about?
> 
> DJ_Hyperfresh > ...
> 
> Agent_1 >
> 
>   * Name: Victoria Ida (Dedf1sh)
>   * Age: 17
>   * Role: Octarian DJ
>   * Current Status: Unknown
>   * Victoria Ida was a former member of DJ Octavio’s wasabi supply unit, and one of his most loyal subjects. After DJ Octavio’s recent defeat, she wanted to continue his legacy and began creating music which quickly became popular amongst the octarian population. When rumors of the promised land rose, she was the first to take the challenge of reaching the surface. Unfortunately, during her mission, she was captured and sanitized. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
> 

> 
> MC.Princess > Victoria...Ida?
> 
> MC.Princess > Wait, Marina, isn’t your last name Ida too? What’s that all about?
> 
> MC.Princess > Marina????
> 
> ■Webmaster■ > DJ_Hyperfresh has left the chatroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut out a huge chunk of the chapter because I felt like it didn't fit, so that's why this may seem really short. However, I hope you guys still enjoy the interrogation scene. I feel like it still covers a bit of lore that will satisfy the readers. I'll be sure to take my time on the next chapter so that it's much longer. Thank you, and Stay Fresh! くコ:彡

_They told me you had gone to ground,_  
_And your rad groove was concrete proof_  
_That you made it safe and sound._  
—Mem cake F02

~

 

> Mack: Yo yo yo, what’s up Inkopolis?! I’m Mack!
> 
> Arial: And i’m Arial!
> 
> Both: And we’re Fish Tales, comin’ to you live from the Inkopolis studio!
> 
> Mack: So, I know you guys are probably super surprised, right? Like, _“Daaaang, Fish Tales! Back at it again with the news reports!_
> 
> Arial: Well, there’s no need to worry; Off the Hook has just decided to take an extended break, so the news team brought us back. Thanks to the huge amount of fans we had supporting us not only right outside the studio, but those of you watching on television as well, they decided to bring us back!
> 
> Mack: I hope Pearl and Marina are okay. As much as I love being able to host, I kinda miss ‘em. You don’t think they’re...splitting up, do you? Like with the Squid Sisters?
> 
> Arial: Nah, of course not! This is Pearl and Marina we’re talking about! Those two absolutely need each other to function. Their relationship is like peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, ham and burgers—!
> 
> Mack: Alright, Arial, I think we get it. Anyways, let’s get to the main part of the broadcast and reveal the current battle stages!
> 
>  

* * *

“I can’t believe Marina never told us about this…” Izumi says softly. She and the other agents had arrived at the police station not too long ago. Callie, who was the lead detective in the case, had gained permission for the team to inspect the interrogation. The only one not there was Marina, who had not contacted anyone else in the agency since the night before—not even Pearl. They were now standing in the police interrogation room, looking through a one-way mirror at the captive.

On the other side of the mirror was Dedf1sh, her hands cuffed to the steel table and a single lamp light shining on her face. She was no longer wearing her clothing from the day before, and instead had changed into a striped prison uniform. Her head was facing down at the ground, sapphire and pink tentacles hiding most of her face. With close examinations, you could see several bruises and scars scattered around her blue/neon-yellow skin.

The team had been at the police station for hours at this point, trying to get some sort of information out of the octoling. All of the interrogators had their own methods of getting the girl to talk, and Eight had the hardest time watching it. Every interrogation seemed to start off calm, but quickly escalated to verbal abuse to try to scare her. Still, even after everything, Dedf1sh remained unphased and showed no emotion.

“Fuck this, i’m done.” the interrogator cursed, throwing his chair to the side. It hit the floor with a bang that echoed against the room’s walls as he exited the interrogation area. When he stormed out of the room, Marina had entered right after with a police officer standing behind her. Everyone turned to look at her as she approached the one-way mirror.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to call you since yesterday!” Pearl said with both anger and worry in her voice.

“I’m sorry, I just needed time to think about everything…” Marina replied, placing her hand on the glass and looking at the girl sitting on the other side. She sniffled, blinking the tears out of her eyes as she turns to Callie. “Please, let me talk to her.”

Callie shakes her head, leaning back on her desk and taking a sip from her iced tea bottle. “She hasn’t been kraken all day. Had some of the best guys in the CID interrogate her, and we’ve gotten nothing. Had to stop ‘em from getting too physical. She hasn’t moved, hasn’t spoken—it’s like we’re speaking to a dead person.”

“Well, she’s a sanitized octoling.” Izumi interrupts. “Probably doesn’t speak inklish, and probably doesn’t remember much either. If we’re gonna try to get any sort of information, Marina is our best shot.”

“Please…” Marina begged. “She’s my twin sister, and I know her the best. Give me a chance, Callie.”

Callie looked at the group, then finally let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, fine. We’ve got nothing to lose.” she says, handing Marina her access card. She took the card and opened the door, slowly stepping inside as it shut immediately behind her.

Marina looked to her right, seeing her reflection in the one-way glass. The room itself was cold and dimly lit, sending a chill down her spine. The girl walked forward, picking up the metal chair that was knock over onto the floor and sitting in it. There was a file folder on the table with the sanitized octoling’s information, but Marina did not bother opening it, clasping her hands together and placing them on the table.

“Victoria?” Marina said softly, tilting her head a bit to see her sister’s face. Dedf1sh showed no reaction, her head low and tentacles drooping. “Vic, it’s me, Marina. Your sis—…”

“I know exactly who the hell you are.” Dedf1sh hissed in octonese, her head shooting up as she stared straight at Marina. “Stop calling me Victoria. Victoria is gone. I’m Dedfish.”

From the other side of the mirror, everyone was surprised to hear the captive speak. Callie shook Eight’s shoulder, getting the octoling’s attention. “Translate for us.”

Marina’s heart stopped when she saw her sister’s face. It was all bruised and bloody, cuts strewed across her cheeks. Her once seafoam pink eyes were gone—replaced with a neon color and large, black pupils.

“Alright ‘Dedfish’... What happened to Victoria? Where’s my sister?”

“Like I said, dead and gone.” Dedf1sh replied, giving Marina a look of disappointment. “Poor girl. All she wanted was to reach the surface with her sister. It’s too bad she was left behind—maybe she would’ve made it.”

“I-I didn’t want to leave you— _her_ … Victoria went back to try to save our parents, even when they were out of range of the Calamari Inkantation. There wasn’t enough time, and they would’ve refused to join us. If I went back, I would’ve been captured!” Marina explained.

“You only thought of yourself, Marina; you and your stupid DJ career. I was nothing but a burden on your shoulders, so you wanted to get rid of me and start over. You never even tried to come back for me!” Dedf1sh yelled.

“That’s not true, Victoria!” Marina cried, slamming her hands against the table. “I wanted to go back. I...I really wanted to. But who was going to help me? I came to the surface during a time where octolings were not accepted in Inkopolis, and going by myself would’ve been suicide. I-I’m sorry!”

Dedf1sh laughed hysterically, a sinister grin forming on her face. “I don’t want _or_ need your apology. You not only betrayed me, but you betrayed your people. What are you gonna do when everyone finds out who you truly are?” she asks, followed by a moment of silence. Despite being the interrogator, Marina was the one shaken by Dedfish’s words. “The day will come when we rise up and take back what’s ours, and when we do, you’ll be choosing a side. Will you choose your own kind, or the ones that have been treating you like garbage to this day?”

Marina’s expression changed from sadness and fear to pure anger. She grabbed onto Dedf1sh’s shirt aggressively, pulling her out of her chair and close to her face. “Don’t even _think_ i’ll be on your side. Inkopolis is my home now, and these are my people. No matter what is thrown at us, we will fight it, and we will win. Then, when it’s over, i’ll save you, Victoria, because _you_ are not my sister.”

Dedf1sh gave the other girl a fake smile, staring dead into her eyes.

“We were never sisters, Marina.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

_I pack my feelings in a box:_  
_A parcel stuffed with hope and love_  
_And trimmed with stamps unorthodox._  
—Mem cake H03

~

Everyone had decided to go their separate ways immediately after the interrogation, agreeing to a chat room meeting later that day. Of course, Pearl left with Marina and Callie left with Marie, so Kaito, Izumi, and Eight decided to hang out for the rest of the day.

“Ace is on his way. Shouldn’t be long until he gets here.” Kaito says. “Grizzco is open right now. We could do some Salmon Run—…”

“No!” Eight suddenly blurted out. The two inklings turned to her in confusion. “I-I mean, i’m not really feeling it, y’know? Still super sore from yesterday, and besides, Lost Outpost is probably one of my least favorite places to go. We should just...turf war instead!” she stammered. Izumi and Kaito looked at each other in suspicion, but agree to Eight’s idea.

After waiting a few minutes outside of the Battle Lobby, Izumi notices that Eight is acting rather suspiciously. The octoling is constantly avoiding eye contact, fidgeting with her hands and twirling her tentacles around her finger. Every few seconds, she would look over at the Grizzco Headquarters with a different expression on her face. Sometimes it was anger, but then would change to disappointment. Before Izumi has the chance to question Eight, her thoughts are interrupted by a shout.

“KAITO!!!”

Out of nowhere, a male octoling comes running at Kaito with his arms out. He jumps at Kaito and wraps his arms around the other boy’s chest, nearly causing the inkling to fall backwards as he lets out a yelp.

“Agh, Ace! C’mon, stop it!” Kaito ordered, trying to pry the octoling’s arms from around him.

 _Ace is an octoling…?_ Eight thinks, examining the boy. Ace had a younger appearance to him, and was noticeably shorter than Kaito by at least four inches. His skin was a fawn beige, and his eyes were an emerald green. He also had his hair in a mohawk type of style, which was standard for most male octolings.

“Alright everyone, let’s go win some turf war!!!” Ace cheers. He lets his arms fall from around Kaito’s chest and grabs his hand instead, dragging him into the Battle Lobby. When Izumi makes her way towards the door, she notices Eight hesitate for a moment before following behind her.

“Are you okay?” the inkling asks before they step inside.

Eight stops walking forward, looking up at Izumi and smiling. “Of course! There’s no need for you to worry about me, Izumi. I’m fine.”

They look at each other for a moment, Izumi trying to read the octoling’s expression. She can tell that the other girl is lying, but decides not to say anything for now.

* * *

 

By the time the squad finishes their games of turf war and exit the Battle Lobby, they can already see the sun setting into the distance as the sky fades from blue to orange. Izumi checks her phone, cursing under her breath as she opens the chat log application.  Eight, Kaito, and Ace look over her shoulder and read the messages as well.

> MC.Princess > Yoooo! Where is everyone???
> 
> MC.Princess > Wasn’t the meeting s’pose to start a hour ago?
> 
> DJ_Hyperfresh > Maybe everyone is busy. Tbh, im glad when can delay the meet. I’m, like, totally not feeling it…
> 
> MC.Princess > Guess you’ll be feeling something else today~ ;) ;) ;)
> 
> DJ_Hyperfresh > The chat log is still public Pearl…
> 
> MC.Princess > Oh…
> 
> MC.Princess > Whoops lol
> 
> DJ_Hyperfresh > ffs
> 
> DJ_Hyperfresh > Well, whenever you guys read this, we’ll just do a chat meet tomorrow afternoon. Ttyl

“Wait, you guys have a secret agent chatlog? And you didn’t invite me?!” Ace questions, looking specifically at Kaito.

“Well, it’s a _secret agent chatlog_ , Ace. As in, for secret agents only.” Kaito answers. “And, no, you can’t join.”

“Fufufu, you’re so meeeean!” Ace cries, grabbing the male inklings arm and nuzzling it. He then looks at Izumi and Eight, giving them his best puppy dog eyes. “C’mon, let me join! Pwetty pweaseeee!”

Izumi shakes her head. “Sorry, not my call. You have to ask Captain Cuttlefish.”

Ace groans, but then quickly transitions to a smile. “Then, I will ask him, and i’ll be able to help you guys out. But for now… I hunger!” the octoling says. He grabs Kaito’s hand, causing the inkling to yelp as he dragged him towards the cafe. Izumi and Eight looked at each other and shrugged, following the two boys.

When the group enters the cafe, they are surprised to see that the tables are completely empty. The only ones inside where the waitress, who was cleaning the counters, and Spike, who was typing away on his laptop (as usual). The ring of the bell above the door catches the waitress’s attention as she looks up and waves. “Good evening. Welcome to High-Tide Cafe.”

Kaito approaches the counter, waving at the others to sit. “It’s on me.”

While Kaito orders their food, every else takes a seat near the back of the cafe. There’s an awkward silence between them as they stare at each other, Izumi pretending to look at something at her phone as the two octolings examine each other.

“So, Eight…” Ace begins, propping his head against his arm and looking at the girl sitting across from him. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

The question totally catches Eight off guard, causing her to shyly away. “I-I, um...no.”

“Do you _want_ a boyfriend?” Ace asks

“A-Ah, well, i’ve never considered it. I don’t know too many people...”

Izumi looks up from her phone, eying Ace. “Are you seriously hitting on her?”

Ace laughs. “Pssh, no way, i’ve already got somebody i’m into.” he says, looking over at Kaito dreamily as he walks towards the group. The inkling sets down four Dr. Kelps and four sandwiches on the table, taking a seat next to Ace. He notices the octoling’s gaze, suddenly uncomfortable.

“What were you guys talking about…?”

“I was just telling them about how much I love you.” Ace replied casually, grabbing one of the sandwiches and unwrapping the plastic around it. Kaito rolled his eyes, taking a sip from his drink and watching the television on the wall in front of him.

Eight picked up one of the sandwiches and peeled back the plastic, examining it before taking a bite. She could taste a mixture of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, and mustard, but surprisingly no meat. It wasn’t a bad taste, just different from what she was expecting.

“Ah, I guess you guys didn’t know that Ace and I are vegetarian, so we usually get the sandwiches without meat. Sorry, I should’ve asked if you guys wanted something different…” Kaito apologizes.

“Don’t worry, it’s delicious!” Eight replied, her cheeks still full of food. She swallowed, taking a sip of her soda and looking over at Izumi. The other girl still hadn’t looked up from her phone to eat, which worried Eight since she’d gone all day without eating. She tapped on the inkling’s shoulder, catching her attention.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Eight asked. “Kaito got you a sandwich.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, i’ll eat in a minute.” Izumi replied, looking back down at her phone.

Minutes had passed by, and everyone else had finished up their meals—everyone except for Izumi. Her sandwich and drink still remained untouched on the table, the ice fully melted inside the Dr. Kelp and sandwich now room temperature. As nightfall quickly approached, everyone decided to head their separate ways. Ace and Kaito ended up taking a different monorail to their apartment, waving the girls goodbye for the day as the train took off.

Half an hour later, the train heading towards Flounder Heights finally arrived. Izumi and Eight stepped on board, taking their seats next to each other. The inkling took a sip from her styrofoam cup as the train pulled off.

“So, you wanna tell me the real reason you didn’t wanna work at Grizzco today?” she asked, narrowing her eyebrow and looking at the octoling.

“I don’t know what you mean…” Eight replied, trying to avoid eye contact. Of course, this was pointless. Izumi could easily tell when somebody was lying (she did play a role in the CID after all), and Eight wasn’t very convincing to begin with.

“Eight, why are you lying to me? Just tell me what happe—…”

“What happened doesn’t matter, okay?! I’m not going back. **EVER**.” Eight said sharply, catching the attention of some other passengers. Izumi was surprised by the other girl’s rather aggressive response, but decided not to press her any farther. The ride home was a silent one, neither wanted to speak any more in the presence of so many people.

Once they arrived at Flounder Heights, Izumi unlocked the door to her apartment and turned on the kitchen light, sitting her drink down on the table. Eight quickly slipped past her and plopped onto the couch, burying her face into one of the pillows and groaning. Izumi looked at the octoling, walking over to the couch and sitting on the end near Eight’s feet.

“Talk.”

“No!”

“Eight, stop being a child.” Izumi demanded, now obviously annoyed. “We’re supposed to be working together, y’know? How am I supposed to trust you if you won’t tell me the truth?”

“You want to know what happened so badly? Fine!” Eight yelled, her body shooting up as she faced Izumi and glared at her. “I spared a Salmonid’s life during my shift, causing me and my coworkers to fail our quota. They snitched, Grizz found out, and I got put on unpaid leave. Happy?!”

There was a moment of silence, the two girls staring at each other. Izumi looked confused, her eyes drifting to the floor.

“Are you siding with them?” she asked quietly.

“ _What?!_ What do you mean ‘Am I siding with them?’”

“Octolings have a history of affiliating themselves with salmonids. They’re known for offering their machinery in exchange for power eggs. I’m not trying to accuse you—.”

“Oh really? Because it **definitely** sounds like you’re accusing me right now.” Eight snapped. “You're questioning me, but what about you, huh? Are you even really my friend?”

“What are you talking about?” Izumi asked, baffled.

“You are an agent that was assigned the task to kill octolings and capture their leader. You’ve been fighting octolings for years now, and all of a sudden you’re okay with one staying in your home?”

“After what happened the first time I saved you, I have no reason to trust you or your kind in the first place. I just do what the agency requests of me!” Izumi yelled, finally breaking character. Again, there was a moment of silence. The inkling let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes. “Look, I didn’t mean—…”

“I don’t care anymore.” Eight says. She stands up from the couch and makes her way towards the door. “The only thing that’s important to you is following your orders and doing what’s best for Inkopolis, even if it means faking your feelings. While you’ve got your priorities, i’ve got mines as well. I still don’t know a thing about my past, and honestly, i’m the only one that cares enough to go out and find it.” She then opens the door, stepping outside. Before she could shut the door, Izumi grabbed the handle.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

But Eight didn’t answer, walking into the silence of the night and not turning back.


	7. Not a Chapter, Just an Update

Hi everyone. It’s been a while since I updated it. I was wondering if people were still interested in me continuing this? If so, leave a comment.


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